The year 2011 is the centenary of Georgiy Babat (1911-1960), a prominent Russian scientist in the area of electrical engineering, the author of over 100 inventions and multiple scientific ideas. He is the forefather of inductive radio frequency discharge commercial application, not only in Russia, but in the whole world as well. It was in 1942 that he first produced a non-electrode self-maintained gas discharge on his pilot plant unit. His research and development results were supported by the State Prize of the USSR. Apart from his scientific papers, Georgiy Babat is also famous for his works of fiction; among them is “Magnetrone”, a novel about the life of a scientist and novella “The Lost Universe”.

The International Conference “Physics of RF Discharges” will be held in Kazan between April 5th and April 8th to commemorate this event. The International School for young scientists and specialists “RF Discharges: Physics and Engineering” and Exhibition with presentations of plasma equipment producers are scheduled within the Conference between April 4th and April 8th.

It was not at random that Kazan has been chosen as the venue for the International Conference and International School for young scientists and specialists to commemorate the centenary of Georgiy Babbat. Kazan is one of the largest industrial, educational and cultural centers of Russia; it has close contacts with the world leading scientific centers.

The Kazan School of low temperature plasma has been leading research in this field in the USSR and in Russia since 1970. It was in Kazan that RF units of atmospheric and low pressure for technological processes were first developed, a unique diagnostic complex for investigating the parameters of RF discharge during its interaction with surfaces of different physical nature bodies was tested, physical and mathematical models of different RF discharge types were developed. The chief organizer of the Conference is the Kazan State Technological University, which is a National Research University.

Holding of the International Conference “Physics of RF Discharge” and the International School for Young Scientists will contribute to a mutually beneficial exchange of information between scientists and specialists from Europe, America and Asia. The Conference scope will cover the most significant results achieved in recent years in research of RF discharges, their application in engineering and technologies, prospects for development of theory and diagnostics of various type RF discharges in a wide range of applications.